Cassie slowly licks a drop of wine from her bottom lip and passes me the bottle.

"Back off, you cougar," Damien says, lighting up a cigarette and blowing the smoke in his sister's face as she approaches me.

"Twenty-six doesn't count as a cougar, you imbecile," she retorts, glaring at him.

I try to ease the tension between them with a laugh, but it fails, so I settle for a sip of wine.

"Let me get this straight," Damien speaks slowly, his anger escalating with each word. "Fucking my girlfriend isn't enough for you. No, you need to fuck every girl that I do, is that it?"

"Ahem, I am not your girlfriend," Stephanie interjects.

"And I'm not fucking you," I add.

"Oh, little brother, you have so much to learn..." Cassie sighs, stepping between me and Stephanie, her hands caressing our shoulders. "It's not fucking, it's making love."

"Oh, fuck you," Damien sighs, exhaling smoke.

"Don't you mean love me?" Cassie taunts, puckering her lips in a mock kissy face.

"I'd love you to get us some weed if you've crashed the party," Damien frowns.

Cassie sighs. "What won't I do for my cute little brother?"

"I'm not—" Damien starts but gives up and finishes his cigarette.

He raises an eyebrow as he watches his sister go to the nightstand, open it, and pull out a silver box.

"Oh, you're kidding me..."

"Don't you know this room's like a drugstore?" Cassie hands him a roll from the box, revealing its green herbal color through the paper. A dizzying smell fills the air as Damien lights it.

"You know what, sis," he says, reclining on the bed and taking another puff. "For this information, I am going to forgive you."

"Really, bro? Will you allow me to escape your wrath?" Cassie counters, and Stephanie and I try to hold back our laughter.

"Yes, I just said I will," Damien replies.

Cassie shakes her head and lights another roll.

"Isn't one enough?" I unintentionally voice my thoughts.

"Sure, love." Cassie puts it between my lips and lights two more. "One for each."

I laugh, sit at the end of the bed, and take a puff.

"Wow..." I let out a deeper sound than expected, feeling the thick herbal smoke billow out of me. "That's good stuff..."

"Father is many things, but one thing for sure, he isn't cheap when it comes to his highs," Cassie remarks, clenching her jaw before taking a long hit.

"The wine's finished," Damien says, not addressing anyone in particular.

Cassie opens the cabinet and grabs one of the fancy bottles. "Catch."

She tosses the bottle over my head, and I glance back to see Damien catching it.

Is she crazy?

"Holy shit, Cassie," Stephanie says, and Cassie shrugs.

"Forty years old, huh?" Damien begins talking to the bottle. "You look damn fine for your age."

"Shove it up your ass," Stephanie retorts.

"Leave me out of your fantasies, Stephanie," Damien retorts sharply, considering how stoned he is.

"So, Cassie," I feel like I'm talking in slow motion for some reason. "What do you do?"

"I knock people out. What about you, besides Damien?" Cassie replies.

"I'm not involved with Damien."

"Not yet," Damien says from behind me as he lies on the bed.

"Why would she want you after

she's met me?" Cassie asks.

"Because any woman in her right mind would prefer a man. And yes, Stephanie, that includes you," Damien smirks.

"Oh, so you're a man now? Sorry, I didn't get the memo," Stephanie tsks.

"Really? Because I remember you having plenty of fun with my manly parts."

"Yeah, Damien, I had so much fun that I decided to go gay," Stephanie mocks.

"Well, obviously. You'll never find a man as good as me," Damien smirks.

"I don't know, Damien, the guy passed out on your couch seemed like a better catch than you."

I expect Damien's comeback, but it doesn't come, so I look at him again.

A deep frown has replaced his usual self-satisfied smirk. I've never seen him so angry.

"That's my big brother."

"Really, Stephanie?" Cassie jumps in, seeming to share Damien's sudden rage. "If you think Damien's a jerk, obviously you haven't had a word with John."

"Wow, Cassie," Stephanie grins, enjoying the new soft spot she has found. "I've never seen you jealous before."

"I'm not jealous. He's just the most careless asshole I've ever met," Cassie's cheeks flush with fury.

"Depends on what you'd call an asshole, I guess..." Damien hesitates.

"Him. He's the definition of an asshole in my book," Cassie fires back.

"Really? He took Dad's place in the dictionary?" Damien grins. It takes her a moment, but Cassie breaks and grins back.

"Forget about all that, pass me that bottle," she sighs, dropping onto the bed between me and Stephanie. Cassie takes the whiskey from Damien and runs her nails across Stephanie's back as she takes a sip.

It's not long before they start kissing. A wet smacking sound makes me particularly uncomfortable, and I shuffle away a little.

Then I feel Damien's hand on my thigh, his fingertips caressing down to my knee. A pleasant tingle rushes through me.

He looks up at me, his soft black hair messy against the white sheets. I can't help but smile as his fingers stroke back up my skin.

And another set of fingers brushes my other leg with a similar touch. I blink and look down to find Cassie's hand there.

"What are you doing, Cassie?"

"Hm? Oh, I thought Damien was used to sharing by now," she smirks.

"Get your hands off her," Damien slaps her hand away.

Stephanie pushes herself away from Cassie and sits against the headboard beside Damien. I notice a mischievous glimmer in her eyes as she gazes at Cassie.

"Can we get back to John? I'm really interested to know why you hate him so much."

"Too bad, I told you to drop it," Cassie responds sharply. Stephanie looks over to Damien, and I realize an unholy alliance against a greater evil is forming between them.

"It's simple, Steph. I'll tell you," Damien smiles as if he's about to reveal a bombshell.

"She hates him because he's stronger than her."

"He's. Not," Cassie's face turns red with rage.

"I've watched you spar, Cassie. We both know he kicks your ass."

Her eyes narrow like blades. "And I kick your ass. So watch it, squirt."

Now Damien blushes. "Only because you're a sadistic psycho who spends all day training to beat people up."

"Damn right I am. How about a taste?" Cassie steps onto the bed.

"It's on, bitch."

I quickly move out of the way as Cassie pounces on Damien. They grapple and roll on the bed, fighting like children with the strength of adults.

Stephanie and I exchange surprised looks. Then there's a thud.

"Holy shit, are you alright?" Stephanie and I rush over to the other side of the bed. We find Cassie pinning Damien's arms beneath her shins, resting on top of his chest.

"Open wide," Cassie says as she pours the whiskey slowly into his mouth. Damien makes an awkward gurgling sound as he tries not to choke.

We all turn around when the door slams open. I recognize the muscular figure and black boxers from the couch. His eyes don't seem to register me and Stephanie as he walks toward Cassie and Damien.

"Nice," he smiles. "Just what I was looking for."